Side Hustle Alert: Can Restaurant Mystery Shopping Help You Beat the Cost of Living?

By Marlon Uniada

With grocery bills climbing and takeout starting to feel like a luxury, people are getting real creative about how to stretch their money. Enter: restaurant mystery shopping, a side hustle that’s low-key helping people score meals for free and potentially make a little extra on the side.

Mystery shopping has been around for decades, but in today’s economy, it’s gaining fresh attention as a clever, flexible way to keep dining out without torching your budget. And yes, it’s legit.

So…what exactly is restaurant mystery shopping?

Simple: You go out to eat like a regular customer. You take mental (or literal) notes on everything, from the staff’s friendliness to the accuracy of your order. Then, after the meal, you submit a report. If you followed the instructions, you’ll get reimbursed for your meal and sometimes earn a small payment on top of it.

Why it actually works as a side hustle in 2025:

1. You’re already eating out anyway. If you’re the kind of person who grabs a weekly meal out with friends or family, why not turn it into a reimbursed gig? Your wallet will thank you.

2. It’s 100% flexible. No 9 to 5, no managers breathing down your neck. You choose the shops you want, when you want, where you want. You can even batch a couple of shops in one go.

3. Restaurants need real feedback. With staff turnover still high and customer expectations changing fast, restaurant owners want fresh eyes on their service. That’s where you, and companies like A Closer Look, come in.

What’s A Closer Look’s role in this?

We’re one of the companies that connect brands with real people to provide honest, detailed feedback through mystery shopping. A Closer Look handles the back-end stuff: onboarding, shopper support, reimbursement processing, and report delivery.

We don’t just throw you into a mystery shop and hope for the best. Our clients provide an excellent guide to help you do it right (and get paid for it). Our mission? Help businesses improve while helping people like you earn on the side.

In fact, A Closer Look has a strong track record in the industry. In 2024 alone, we processed around 60,000 mystery shops across the U.S., partnering with happy clients that rely on accurate and timely feedback to improve guest experience.

Real Talk: Is it worth your time?

Let’s look at the bigger picture. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation has remained a pressure point throughout 2024 and into 2025, particularly affecting food prices. In fact, the average cost of food away from home rose by 5.2% over the past year. At the same time, side hustles have surged in popularity, with nearly 40% of Gen Z and Millennials taking on gigs to help manage the cost of living, per a recent LendingClub report.

Mystery shopping is a rare combo of savings and side cash, no up-front investment, and free food if done right.

Sure, you won’t be paying rent with this gig. But if you play it smart, choose high-reimbursement assignments, stick to your zone, and avoid overspending beyond the shop, it can absolutely offset your food costs or support your weekend budget.

And in a world where every dollar (and every bite) counts? That’s a win.

What You’re Really Getting: Free Food and a Flexible Gig

If you're detail-oriented, love trying new restaurants, and don’t mind writing a short report after your meal, restaurant mystery shopping is a no-brainer side hustle. It’s flexible, kind of fun, and yes, most of the time delicious.

Want in? Visit our Mystery Shopper HQ and explore how you can start mystery shopping today.

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